Psalm of a Mystical Blind Lover
Jesus of Galilee -- whose face drew lovers
as honey draws flies -- help this blind "fly."
St. Paul was thrown from his horse,
blinded by a glorious bright vision of you.
Saints and mystics in every century
have had similar visions of you and your mother.
Such visions continue to this very day.
O Beloved Master, alas, I too am blind,
yet I long to be graced by a vision of you.
Sadly, I confess to not having seen a single one,
whether on a road or in a time of prayer.
Help me, your blind disciple, who longs for,
yet fears, such divine visitations,
for they may turn my comfortable world upside down.
Cure me of my desire for mystic visions
and so open my eyes to see you
in every beautiful flower, sunset, woman or man,
God's glory enfleshed in beauty.
Let my eyes see your glory in oozing pain,
in every ugly, sick, disfigured, dying body
and in all throwaway humans and "freaks" of nature,
because God's glory is truly visible
in every ugliness as well as every beauty.
Heal my deaf eyes, as well, Beloved Master,
so I can hear your whisper in what I see,
calling upon me to love you in everything that is.
Reflection: Holiness is attributed to those persons who are said to have seen the extraordinary, the mystical. Starving for the rare bread of the para-psychological, crowds flock around visionaries, hoping to catch a small glimpse of heaven visiting earth.
Jesus of Galilee invited those who were vision-challenged to be his friends and to follow him. Those who did were promised the healing gift of seeing visions. Jesus' healing formula for his blind friends was to follow him and to anoint their eyes with love; then they would see Christ in everyone. Those who desire any other kind of mystical vision are advised to take note of the warning label below:
Caution:
Mystical visions can cause you to be thrown off your high horse, even if you are not on one. You may suffer a severe loss of gravity, as your world and everything in it, including your religion, are turned upside down. Final Warning: Visions may lead to crucifixions.
From Psalms for Zero Gravity by Ed Hays
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Blessed Are You, Lord Our God,
Who Delights Us With the Wonder of Wind.
Father of Ten Thousand Gifts,
we are grateful for the invisible wonder of wind,
for that playful spirit of nature
that drives kites heavenward,
carries away balloons on invisible fingers
and twirls windmills joyfully.
We rejoice in this marvel, the wind,
bearer of seeds, waver of flags and banners,
carrier of clouds and sea-spray
and messenger of God: as holy wind, the Holy Spirit.
We rejoice in that Holy Spirit
who surrounded Mount Sinai with wind, smoke, and fire
when holy Moses met You face to face.
For the breeze which held the voice of God
that called Elijah from his cave of hiding,
for the wind upon which rode the tongues of fire
that came upon Jesus’ friends after His ascension to You,
we are grateful.
For all these gifts of the wind,
the dance master of yellow leaves
and bringer of spring rains,
for the wind itself which we feel upon our bodies,
we are thankful;
and we praise You, Spirit Supreme,
by enjoying on this day
Your holy creature and sacred singing sign,
the wind.
Blessed are You, Lord our God,
who delights us with the wonder of wind.
Amen
From Prayers for the Domestic Church by Ed Hays
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Prayer action suggestion:
Take a child to fly a kite and share the wonder of wind together. And, make a donation to an organization that supports children who will never have such an opportunity.
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